Grass lawns are a dominant landscape feature of many residences and recreational areas. Although grass lawns provide open views and a wear-tolerant soft surface for active recreation, the time, cost and environmental impact of watering grass lawns have been increasingly scrutinized by municipalities and private owners alike, particularly in areas prone to drought-like conditions or where water is a limited resource.
During the summer season, municipal water consumption can double as a result of lawn watering. Excess water consumption lowers water tables and reduces stream flows, which affects fish and other aquatic life. It also increases the costs for municipalities to supply and treat water and increases the cost of water bills. To reduce cost, some municipalities restrict lawn and garden water use when there is little rainfall.
Alternatives that provide low-water maintenance of grass lawns present a positive contribution towards water conservation efforts. To that end, blends of varying grasses selected for beneficial sun/shade tolerance are offered as an “eco-friendly” solution for low maintenance turf. However, these grass blends do not readily provide certain physical properties, such as uniformity, durability, texture (e.g., for putting surfaces), and vivid green color, sought in turf grass grown on golf course greens, golf fairways and tee boxes.
Most turf managers are aware that turfgrass water use is under increasing scrutiny, as there is particular interest in reducing irrigation on recreational areas, such as golf courses in particular. Consequently, many turf managers are interested in improving their turf's drought tolerance. Thus, there remains a need for compositions and methods to reduce water stress in grass under conditions of reduced water irrigation. There is also a need for such compositions and methods to impart improved grass quality, density, color, or plant cell turgidity.